This application relates to single or multiple fixed prosthodontic restorations, and more particularly to a dental implant system which simulates the look and function of a natural root of a tooth with regard to its maintenance of bone and gingival architecture.
In the healthy non-diseased mouth with natural teeth present, there exists a biologic relationship between the root of a tooth, the crown of a tooth, the bone surrounding the root and the gingiva (soft tissue) surrounding the bone, root and crown of a tooth. In nature, the shape that the gingiva or soft tissue assumes and follows is dictated by the underlying presence and shape of bone. The contours of bone around a natural tooth is actually scalloped with the bone more apical on the facial and lingual aspects of the tooth and more coronal in the interproximal area (between the teeth). It is this scalloping of the bony architecture which lends itself to the formation and maintenance of interdental papilla (the small triangular flesh portion adjacent the gum line and located between the teeth). If the distance from the base of the papilla or tooth contact point is 5 mm or less to the interproximal bone, gingival papilla is formed and maintained in a predictable manner.
Dental implant procedures have proven to be an effective method of restoring function in patients having missing teeth. Implants provide a structure upon which a prosthetic tooth or teeth can be attached and secured in an otherwise edentulous (non-tooth) area. In contrast to using dentures or other fixed or removable dental bridge systems, implants have the advantage of maintaining bone and not being subject to decay.
A primary concern in implant dentistry is the presence of sufficient bone support, which not only is necessary for proper placement and securement of the implant itself, but is critical for the proper development and maintenance of gingival tissue including papilla that is necessary in order to achieve a desirable soft-tissue aesthetic result. Bone growth around an implant follows the shape of the bone-integrating part of the implant. With conventional side-by-side flat-ended implants, bone support between the implants is flat and therefore the gingiva between the implants is also flat. Such a flat gingival configuration produces an artificial looking, unnatural and aesthetically displeasing appearance in the patient""s mouth.
Importantly, the absence of papilla between side-by-side implants used for replacing a patient""s front teeth (upper or lower) may result in the formation of unaesthetic black triangles or spaces. One solution to this problem has been the use of overly contoured crown restorations. However, such crown restorations may distort natural proportional contours, leading to an unnatural, unaesthetic and unhealthy prosthesis where such is needed the most.
Grafting techniques for replacing papilla around implants have also been used, but they are almost always very costly and ineffective, especially in the case of multiple side-by-side implants. Also, grafting is less than desirable due to the typical requirement of undertaking several painful surgical procedures and the lack of predictability for success in these operations, the latter due to an inadequate amount of bone support between the implants.
Another option for overcoming the absence of papilla is the use of gingival colored porcelain (on the crowns) to cover or mask the black spaces. However, the use of gingival colored porcelain is completely unsatisfactory since the look is artificial, out of proportion, and out of contour.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved dental implant system which maintains the boney/osseo and gingival soft tissue architecture in a scalloped appearance similar to what appears around a healthy natural root of a tooth. This promotes the growth and maintenance of proper gingival tissue contours, specifically papilla, in the necessary locations along the gingival architecture such as would appear around a natural tooth.
Generally speaking, in accordance with the invention, an improved dental implant system which simulates the natural root of a tooth is provided. The system includes an implant body having a facial surface aspect, lingual surface aspect and interproximal surface aspect, and which is defined by an apical portion and a coronal portion. The system also includes an implant abutment having an internal surface aspect for selective mating engagement with the coronal portion of the implant body and also having an external surface aspect. The system further includes a crown having an internal surface aspect for selective mating engagement with the external aspect of the implant abutment.
Significantly, the implant body has a bone integrating external surface which, in a coronal direction, extends more along the interproximal aspect than along the facial aspect. In particular, the bone integrating external surface defines a non-bone integrating beveled surface along the facial aspect of the coronal portion of the implant body. This beveled surface is not integrated to the bone and is designed for maintaining a boney scallop around the implant and for selective mating engagement or attachment with the internal aspect of the implant abutment during assembly of the inventive system.
Preferably, the bone integrating external surface also defines a second non-bone integrating beveled surface along the lingual aspect of the coronal portion of the implant body. As with the first beveled surface, the second beveled surface is also designed for engagement or attachment with the internal aspect of the implant abutment.
In accordance with the invention, each beveled surface formed along the coronal portion of the implant body comprises a facial scallop having an apical extent and a coronal extent. Each beveled surface defines a taper viewed along the interproximal aspect and which extends inwardly from the apical extent to the coronal extent at an angle of an amount between about 50xc2x0 and 25xc2x0.
Because the implant body of the inventive dental implant system has a bone integrating external surface which, in a coronal direction, extends more along the interproximal aspect than along the facial and lingual aspect, bone formation is naturally guided to a more apical location along the facial and lingual aspects, thereby creating a scalloped boney design around the implant body. As a result, gingival tissue is formed along the scalloped bone, promoting the formation of papilla between adjacent implants when the final prosthesis is in place with a properly located tooth contact point.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved dental implant system.
Another object of the invention is to provide a dental implant system which simulates the design and function of a natural root of a tooth.
A further object of the invention is to provide a dental implant system which enables bone to be formed and maintained around the implant body thereof at two different heights or levels.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved dental implant system which enables the formation and maintenance of papilla between side-by-side implants and/or adjacent natural teeth.
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a dental implant system which has a non-bone integrating beveled surface along at least a facial aspect of the coronal portion of the implant body.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the following description.
The invention accordingly comprises the feature of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.